Welcome from the BSHS Head

September 2016 Issue 21

ESC Newsletter

Coming up this

October

Y9 Articul8

Week

FS Intergrated

Learning Week

Disney Day

Singapore Var-

sity Basketball

Tournament

TISSA Girls and

Boys Football

Sports Day

Halloween

Support Services

Coffee Morning

(next Thursday)

Chrysta Garnett, Head of British Secondary and High School Section

In this Issue:

Team Building

Clive Leach Visit

Juming Art Trip

Music FOBISIA

Well-Being

Olympics

UCC

Dear Parents I hope that you passed a relaxing

Mid Autumn Festival with your

families recently and enjoyed a

long weekend of celebrations. In

the BSHS the long weekend sig-

naled the end of our first Positive Education Week at the ESC which

featured a student, parent and

teacher programme focused en-

tirely on the theme of Wellbeing. The week provided a timely mid-

term reflection point for all con-

cerned, as we led students

through sessions on recognizing

their character strengths, practis-

ing mindfulness, learning about the

‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’, expressing

gratitude, learning how to peer

coach using the GROW model

and developing resilience. Clive

Leach joined us for the week and

ran a well attended and inspira-

tional evening for parents on the

same themes. Positive Education is a growing

movement amongst educators

that looks at education in a holis-

tic sense, recognising that aca-

demics, mental and physical health

and general wellbeing are all inex-

tricably linked. In other words, its

premise is that improved student

wellbeing leads to better results,

more life satisfaction and im-

proved health. The Positive Edu-

cation movement has emerged

from the science of Positive Psy-

chology, which uses empirical

evidence to show the construc-

tive effects of a more optimistic

outlook, an attribute that our

future generations are clearly

going to need in abundance. There can be no doubt that the pressures on young people are

escalating. There is increased

pressure to do well academically

and increased competition to gain

entry to the world’s higher educa-

tion institutions. The jobs market

is shrinking, whilst social pres-

sures, fuelled by the increased use

of social media, are mounting. The

World Health Organisation, in a

report published earlier this year,

has uncovered declining rates of

both mental and physical wellbe-

ing amongst adolescents, as well

as an underinvestment of both

research and money on this

demographic. Thankfully, both

NGOs and education institutions

have committed to addressing

these issues and, with the intro-

duction of Positive Education,

Taipei European School aims to

place itself at the forefront of

change for the better. Please do

talk to your children about their

experiences during the week and

ask them to share their learning

with you. In the year ahead, our Year Deans

will be leading an approach to

Wellbeing during CORE sessions

as well as an extended opportu-

nity for further learning on this

topic on Values Day in Novem-

ber, the theme of which for this

year will be ‘Value Yourself’.

Watch this space for more infor-

mation as they year unfolds and

this focus area gathers momen-

tum in the BSHS.

I’d like also like to take this op-

portunity to congratulate our new

House Captains who have them-

selves shown their own strength

of character in electing to take

part in this rigorous leadership

selection process. Leading a

group of approximately 150 young

people in each House is no easy

task for a H3 student but one that

our House Captains do with great

energy and enthusiasm as profes-

sional ambassadors of the school.

I look forward to working with

the new team as well as thanking

the outgoing Captains for their

hard work and commitment in the

last year to their role and their

Houses.

Enjoy this bumper edition of the

ESC Newsletter.

Page 2 ESC Newsletter

Positive Education Week with Clive Leach

Page 3 Issue 21

H4 students use mindfulness to

help “declutter” their minds at

the beginning of a lesson.

Consolidating on a successful series

of presentations on the PERMAH

model, wellbeing and the elements

for flourishing delivered by Clive

Leech, a H4 psychology group use a

hand meditation to help improve

focus and creativity.

Students are very welcoming of using

mindfulness techniques and focusing

on breath in lessons in order to

“declutter” their minds, which in turn

allows for greater cognitive function-

ing.

What does this mean?

Not being preoccupied with what has

occurred before the lesson so there

can be more “brain power” used for

higher-order thinking such as synthe-

sis, evaluation and creativity, which in

essence allows for greater learning to

take place in the present moment.

Meditation is not out of the ordinary

for these students who are often led

by the University Careers Counselor,

Ryan Jordan on a short meditation

exercise at the end of H3 and H4

year meetings on Tuesdays.

It is a credit to all H3 and H4 stu-

dents who take a mature and appre-

ciative attitude towards meditation,

whilst sitting up-right amongst peers

with eyes closed may be unusual and

uncomfortable for some, for these IB

students it is now much more famil-

iar.

With more and more research being

published that supports the benefits

of mindful meditation students can be

reassured that regular practise is

worthwhile.

Without prompting, some students

are now actively taking upon them-

selves to mindfully meditate outside of the school environment which is

hugely encouraging. By doing so stu-

dents will become less anxious and

overwhelmed by challenges that they

face in high stressed situations such as

examinations and university inter-

views, leading to a reduced stress

response and a better prepared mind

and performance.

It’s not just students that can benefit,

adults can as well and the hand medi-

tation is very simple and effective to

do which helps in reducing the stress

response which leads to anxiety and

poor cognitive faculties. The hand

meditation can be used when we feel

overwhelmed, one use could be be-

fore going into a meet-

ing “decluttering” allows for greater

capacity for creative and empathetic

thinking.

Give it a try and see.

Place your left palm facing upwards

and taking your index finger of the

right hand trace the outside of your

left hand starting at the base of the

thumb, as the index finger moves up,

breath in and as it moves down

breath out. Try to keep inhalation

and exhalation as natural as possible,

repeat as necessary focusing back on breathe should the mind wander.

Here is an entertaining introductory

Ted talk by Andy Puddicombe relat-

ing to mindfulness, should you be new

to mindfulness and want to know

more or if you want to appreciate his

perspective on mindful meditation.

Ted Talk by Andy Puddicombe

H4 Mindfulness

Paul Wright, Leader of PERMAH

Page 4 ESC Newsletter

Well-being Olympics

Neil Harris, Dean of Year 9

The implementation of PERMAH into

the British school curriculum has

started and it's bringing about some

exciting positive changes in the ways

we can improve our overall well-being.

The Year 9's really embraced this re-

cently with participation in a CORE

session called the 'Well-being Olym-

pics', following on from the theme of

the success enjoyed by the GB team

in the Rio Olympics.

The students competed in their houses

in a variety of fun, active and collabora-

tive events including: laughter lunges,

shaving foam relay, water relay, hula

hoop challenge, orange relay and an

egg and spoon race. The event focused

on Engagement, relationships and

Health in our PERMAH model and

judging fro the event, pictures and

videos out students had a lot of fun

too! This year the Year 9s will have a

special focus on health and Well-Being

during Monday and Friday form times

and also integrated into their CORE

sessions.

As always, I look forward to witnessing

the enthusiasm and engagement that this wonderful year group demonstrate

with our positive PERMAH and well-

being agenda.

Page 5 Issue 21

News from the ESCPA

Page 6 ESC Newsletter

Anna Durmus, ESCPA

Dear Parents,

Wow, what a month! As I am writing this

article, the third typhoon is rapidly ap-

proaching our island, and the Govern-

ment of Taiwan has just announced its

decision to close the schools tomorrow! I

do hope everyone stays safe and dry in

this weather. But, sadly, that means that

we have to postpone our monthly Vege-

tarian Lunch scheduled for tomorrow.

Just to remind you of this wonderful Pro-

ject: Our monthly Vegetarian Lunch,

organised together with the Roots &

Shoots ECA, is cooked by volunteer par-

ents and offered to the students free of

charge. Please encourage your child to

stop by and taste it! We have had a great

turnout among the students and faculty staff the last year, and we aim at educating

even more children about healthy and

tasty eating this year. Also, we are still

missing 2 parents to cook for the kids. If

you feel that you can join the team of our

“Renowned Chef” parents and treat the

kids with your signature vegetarian dishes,

we are looking for you! Please get in

touch with our Vegetarian Lunch Coordi-

nator Chin at escpacommit-

tee@gmail.com

In mid-September we have had our first

Casual Coffee Morning at our regular

hangout place – Wendel’s Café. It was a

great opportunity to meet new parents

and get together with the old timers and

have an informal chat. Please remember

that we have a new Hospitality Coordina-

tor at ESCPA, Cecilia Checchia, who is a

good source of information about Taipei

and what it has to offer. Thank you, Ce-

cilia, for organizing this fun event and

having a surprise guest speaker - Amy Liu,

a cross-cultural trainer and organizer of

"Kaixin Workshops" in Taroko, who pre-

sented her amazing project to the atten-

dees.

The last year we have also launched a

Parents Support Group, which focuses on

providing useful information about the

school, as well as the general information

about Taipei to new families. We hope

that this group will help the newcomers

to make their transition period as smooth

as possible. Please feel free to con-

tact escpacommittee@gmail.com if you

are new at TES.

The Cafeteria Committee has been very

active since the beginning of the year,

working on new menu items to make the

students food more diverse and delicious,

while keeping it well-balanced and

healthy. We are pleased to announce that

the new menu items will be incorporated

in the November menu, so stay tuned!

Perhaps the biggest recent achievement

of the ESCPA and our Cafeteria Commit-

tee is the installation of the Heating Sys-

tem at Cafeteria Phase I and repair of the

heating system of Cafeteria Phase II. Since

the last year,ESCPA has been very persis-

tent in working with the school on re-

solving these major issues, and it finally

paid off! We are happy that the kids will

be served with hot lunches from now on.

The Autumn Fair, which is coming in a

couple of days, is always a fantastic event,

featuring talented TES students playing

various musical instruments, a great

spread of delicious food, kids entertain-

ment and convivial atmosphere. Per tradi-

tion, ESCPA will be selling pizzas and wine

to raise money, which will be used for

various projects throughout the year.

Please stop by and say hi, get to know

ESCPA members and what we are doing

and share your ideas. We value your

voice!

Despite the fact that ESCPA is comprised

ofhighly motivated, selfless parents eager

to undertake various responsibilities for

the good of the TES students, we would not be able to run any of the activities

without volunteers. Please please give us

some of your time and join us for the

future events at the Secondary Campus.

We guarantee that you will have an un-

forgettable experience and a feeling of

accomplishment at the end of the day,

and maybe even make good friends.

Like, in October when ESC students will

have their Sports Day! ESCPA will be

offering the students free fruits during the

event. Isn’t it a great tradition! We will

also sell drinks and healthy snacks to keep

the kids well-fed and hydrated. We are

also requested by the Sports Department

to marshal the Cross-Country race. And

yes, we need MANY volunteers for that.

If you volunteer, you will have the pleas-

ure of watching your own child compet-

ing with his peers, a priceless experience!

Please put your name on the volunteer spreadsheet (once it’s sent out) if you can

come and join us on that day.

Finally, we would also like to remind you

that the Christmas Bazaar preparations

are well under way. If you have not put

your name in as a volunteer for any Com-

mittee yet, there is still time to do it. Any

pair of hands counts before or on that

festive and meaningful day. Please get in

touch with the Christmas Bazaar team at

tespsccouncil@gmail.comif you would like

to make yourself useful and get the most

rewarding feeling in return.

Please make note of our next meet-

ing: Friday 21 October, 9:00 am-11:00

am at the ESC Phase II Conference

Room. Hope you can join us! We still

have several vacancies which we hope to

fill in the shortest possible time.

And just a gentle reminder that you can

keep abreast of the ESCPA activities on

the TES Parents Forum on Facebook

at https://www.facebook.com/groups/

TESparentsForum/ . The news and photos

are updated regularly, and there is a lot of

other useful information as well.

So long for September and see you again

in October,

Your ESCPA

Page 7 Issue 21

Jack Shull and Ryan Jordan, University and Careers Counsellors (UCC)

University Visitors and University Fairs

With the start of a new year brings

on a new group of students getting

ready to applying to universities.

While looking for universities, stu-

dents (and their families) want to

start looking at what is important to

them. What country do you want to

live in? Are you returning home or off

to a new country? Do you want a

large institution or something with a

smaller professor to student ratio?

What else does the university offer in

terms of clubs and organizations,

internships and job placements? Eve-

rything from climate to culture, diver-

sity and financial aid should be in the

initial conversation while looking for,

what we in the UCC office call, a

perfect fit.

When looking at universities, there

are several ways to research to find

that fit. First, speak to your University

and Careers Counsellor. They have a

wealth of information and can help

answer questions on the direction

you are going. Second, take advantage

of the college and university visits.

Even if you haven’t heard of a univer-

sity, it might have the programme that

you are looking for. Third, visit the

university's official website. This is

where you can find the most up-to-

date information on programmes and

admission requirements.

If you are looking in the UK, the best

place to start looking for universities

is UCAS.

http://search.ucas.com/

If you are interested in studying in the

US, check out the College Board. This

search is a bit more extensive.

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

college-search

Keep in mind your academic profile.

Don’t be afraid to look at a new uni-

versity or college. There is an institu-

tion out there that will help to get

you to whatever future career goal

you are setting.

On Thursday, September 22nd, the

Taipei European School hosted the

Council of International Schools Col-

lege and University Fair. The majority

of TES high school students were able

to attend and learn more about the 27

universities and colleges.

These college fairs and visits give the

students instant access to representa-

tives in which to talk with about differ-

ent academic programmes, admission

requirements, clubs and organizations,

and other factors that come into play

while looking for a perfect fit.

There are more college visits and fairs

coming up over the next few months.

Stayed tuned to Naviance to receive

the most up-to-date schedule.

Page 8 ESC Newsletter

International Olympiad in Taiwan

The first International Arts Olympiad Taipei took place this summer, 15th to 19th August.

TES was represented by Andrea Grigsby and Ally Hsia from H4 and Britteny Chen who is in H2.

JUDGING & AWARD: An international panel of 5-7 judges representing different categories assembled for the art

contest. The judging consists of two parts:

1. Individual art contest in which the judges select 6 students from each category, a total of 18 students to present the

award. The awards are Golden Art Award (1), Silver Art Award (2), and Bronze Art Award (3) for each category.

2. Interdisciplinary group contest in which the judges select the top 5 groups to present the award. The awards are

Soaring Art Award 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, 4th place, and 5th place.

3. Participation Awards: Earnest learners who participate in the entire process will be presented with certificate by the

organization committee.

4. Friendship Awards: International teams, leading teachers, and students will be presented with certificate by the or-

ganization committee.

There were awards won by our students….

Andrea got the Golden art award. (Individual award) and Ally got the Soaring Art award 2nd place (Group Award)

Well done and congratulations!

Page 9 Issue 21

Library News

Angela Chang, Chief Librarian

September 13th 2016 marked 100 years since the birth of the world’s number one storyteller Roald Dahl!

Throughout the whole September, the library celebrates his birthday by setting up

book displays (check out the newly published Roald Dahl Dictionary!), decorating

the library with colourful buntings coloured by our students as well as organizing

the Roald Dahl “Kahoot” Quiz during lunch break. Congratulations to Ally who

beat the other Roald Dahl experts in the school and won the biggest prize- NT500

Caves Bookstore voucher!

Quote “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because

the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who

don’t believe in magic will never find it.” –Roald Dahl in The Minpins

Resource of the Month

Do you know that the library subscribes to more than 50 magazines that not only

support the research needs of our students but also ensure the access to various

interesting articles for leisure reading? One of the magazines in our collection I

would like to introduce to you is Mental Floss- a magazine about everything from

science to pop culture to tech to history that will bring a smile to your face. Come

to the Phase 2 library to explore further all the quirky and witty information in this

magazine!

Page 10 ESC Newsletter

Team Building—Year 7

Zachery Potter, Y7 Student

What a day! Friday the 2nd of September was an extraordinary day, planned by Mr. Imbleau. The day included ice-

breakers such as Human Bingo, a parachute egg drop, shared desserts, a shaving foam relay race and a scavenger

hunt. I think I can speak for all of Year 7, it was a fabulous day !

Ice Breakers

The first event was human bingo. Human bingo is a game where you have a number of rows of boxes ( like bingo )

with questions such as ‘ Was this person born in a cold country?’ and you walk around asking these questions on

the sheets and if the person you ask says yes, then they sign the box of the question. The result of this activity was

that we now understand our classmates better and now know what our friend can do or has done.

Parachute Egg drop

Slimy, disgusting and vile. The first things that popped into my head when I thought of this challenge. The way you

do this is simple, you are given one bag, string, tape, straws, paper and glue. You have to create a sustainable para-

chute so that your egg will not break when you drop the structure off the side of the fourth floor of Phase 2. The

Green group literally smashed the record of awesomeness. Noah Woodall the pilot of the green group noticed

that his egg detached from his structure and he hoped that it wouldn't break, but it did When it was his turn, the

egg dropped and crashed into the ground and smashed all over the lawn outside the building.

Shaving Foam Race

If you're one of those types of people that like to get messy, this is the type of game you want to play. The rules

for the game are the following: everybody on your team (20 people) sit in a row behind a large shallow bowl with

shaving foam in it .The first player scoops up some shaving foam with their left hand and passes the amount to the

next person and that person passes it to the next and so on. When it gets to the end the last person puts it it into

another shallow bowl which is at the end. The first player continuously passes shaving foam down the line until

there is no more shaving foam in the bowl. Alec Chen and I probably had more fun than others due to the fact that

I smeared shaving foam all over Alec’s face! At the end of the race, he got me back by spreading shaving foam all

over my face, too! In the end, I believe that this was a splendid activity because I got to know Alec a little bit more.

Scavenger hunt

Possibly the greatest scavenger hunt I’ve ever played and this was the most interesting activity in my opinion. This

was no regular scavenger hunt, this scavenger hunt had questions about the school and a riddle on a sheet such as

‘How many stars are there on the TES logo?’ One of the many reasons I liked this activity was because The Smurfs

(blue team) were the first finished and we got all the questions correct! In addition, I got to know other people a

bit more. Alexandra Norris was the one who answered all the riddles so now I know she is good at them.

This activity was mainly placed in Phase 1 so it was easy to get around. After everyone was done, Mr. Imbleau an-

nounced the answers and we were the only ones who answered them correctly!

This day was the best so far in school. We got to know each other so much better and I think we can now work

better because of these activities. Now I have made more friends and I can communicate better with others.

Page 11 Issue 21

Page 12 ESC Newsletter

Team Building - Year 8

Katelyne Chuang, Y8 Student

On the morning of the 2nd September

2016, TES Year 8s went on a school

trip called ‘team building day’. This year

was the 12th year of team building and

ours took place in Yangmingshan at the

National Park. Team Building Day was a

representation of ‘The Hunger Games’.

Pupils from Year 8 were placed into

different groups, with different varieties

of heights, nationalities, sections and

classes. The reason for this is for the

students to gain empathy, social skills

and to push themselves beyond their

limits whilst meeting new people.

On the 1st September, team members

from each group picked a folded piece

of paper with a number on it. That

number was their district. Students of

District 10 (The best team!) consisted of Vivian Stocker, Gabriel O’Brien,

Alisha Huang, Katelyne Chuang, Aaron

Mopps, Jett Alton and Paul Su. Students

then made banners to represent their

district and team. They chose their

team name from the contestants in the

corresponding districts from ‘The Hun-

ger Games’ movie. District 10 chose

‘Ashe’ for their team name.

The next day, districts 1-6 went up the

mountain. Meanwhile, districts 7-12

stayed at school to finish their banners.

30 minutes later, it was time for those

districts to head to the park too. They

started by walking down from the alley

onto the main road and to the bus stop

that took them to the Starbucks close

by. Students used their Yoyo Easy cards

and money to pay for the bus ride.

Teachers were a bit lost to start with,

but they found their way through.

Students walked with their friends from

different districts up the mountain. An

hour later, districts 7-12 made it to

Yangmingshan National Park! Different

districts were scattered around a range

of different activities. Each head of the

games was a teacher from each subject

- music, drama, science, PE and maths -

and each activity had a riddle. IF you

got the correct answer, you may re-

deem extra bonus points. Pupils from

TES were also asked to take some

photos of a wide mixture of nature

subjects, which were also worth points

for the team.

District 10 started off with the music activity. The teacher hosting the activity

was Mrs. Harris. In this activity, the

team had to make up a song about

anything. District 10 decided they were

going to make a song about sleep and

food. They were struggling with the

lyrics, but at the end they made a

somewhat decent song. The team got

the correct answer for the riddle, so

gained the extra points too.

There were 3 PE activities. District 10

started with the activity that Mr. Lee

hosted. The aim of the activity was to

create a human pyramid. Team Ashe

ended up making 3; including standing

up, lying down and sitting down! They

also answered the riddle correctly, so

were off to a good start.

The drama activity was hosted by Mrs. Bracken, which was the 3rd that Ashe

took part in. The point of the activity

was to make up a short act about a

long trip, where something may have

happened! District 10 came up with a

creative idea and acted it out. The play

included travellers, snakes, quicksand

and treasure. For the riddle, they

guessed correctly again too.

The team then moved onto the 2nd PE

activity. This activity was called

‘Volleyball Rally’, which was hosted by

Mr. Duxfield. Team members must dig,

set or spike the ball to each other with-

out it touching the ground. The team

got into a little argument due to frus-

tration. Again, the team answered the

riddle correctly, so gained valuable

points.

Team Ashe then moved onto the 3rd

PE activity, which was hosted by Ms.

Juan. The rules of the game were that

you had to hold hands with each other

in the team. There are 2 people at

either end with one arm unheld. The

students at the end of the line would

stand in a hula hoop and once the timer

starts, the hula hoop is pulled up and

passed onto the next team mate, whilst

still holding hands. The time to get 3

hula hoops from one end to the other

was recorded. The team guessed that

riddle right and gained full marks for

the activity.

The team then went to the maths activ-

ity, which was hosted by Mr. Bonnalie.

District 10 got 2 out of the 3 answers correct, missing out on the easiest one!

Luckily they answered the riddle cor-

rectly once again.

For the final activity, the team walked

up to the temple for the science ex-

periment. This activity was hosted by 2

teachers from the German Section and

it was called ‘Egg Drop’. As you can

guess, the point of the game is to make

a barrier to save the egg from cracking

when it is dropped. The teachers sug-

gested making a parachute so that the

egg doesn’t have a hard impact when it

lands on the ground. After 30 minutes

of constructing it, it was time to drop

the egg from the top of the temple (2

stories high!). At first they thought that

it was perfectly fine, but when Katelyne

cut open the barrier, the egg had a

slight hole from where some of the egg leaked out. Despite the hole, the team

answered the latest riddle, so per-

formed well on this task.

Unfortunately, the team didn’t com-

plete all activities and headed up to the

benches, where all the districts were

having lunch together. During all the

activities, team members took a bunch

of videos and photos. They even came

across a dead squirrel! After lunch,

team mate Alisha Huang took photos

of flowers, animals, flags, buildings and a

silly team photo too, as part of the

competition!

Walking down the mountain was much

easier than walking up. It was raining

cats and dogs. By the time Year 8

reached TES campus, it was 12 o’clock.

The students spent break time as usual,

but for the last periods, they all gath-

ered in the gym and played loads of

‘just a minute’ games to gain more

points for the teams.

There were the 12 districts and a

teacher’s team, who competed in a

number of games, including bouncing

ping pong balls into cups, bouncing balls

between clip board, blowing cups over

with balloons and other challenges that

were similar.

Overall, the Year 8 pupils from TES had

a lot of fun on the 12th annual Team

Building Day.

Page 13 Issue 21

Page 14 ESC Newsletter

Team Building - Year 9

Noa Shumueli, Y9 Student

It was a peculiar and amusing sight to see as the Year 9s came streaming into the school on September 2nd, dressed in

matching costumes; some with balloons tied to their heads, some with full face paint and everyone bubbling with lots of

excitement! We were all very enthusiastic because our Team Building Day was going to be the Amazing Race around Taipei.

We all gathered in our groups in the gym, and a few minutes later we were off! Our goal was to get to locations all over

Taipei just using public transportation and completing small challenges when we got there. The locations included all kinds of

places, from Taipei Zoo to Longshan Temple and even to Beitou Hot Springs. In the Taipei Zoo, we encountered the most

dangerous snake in Taiwan (in a tank); at the Shilin Residence Park, we let our inner dancers loose in a spontaneous group

dance routine; in Longshan Temple, we offered fruits and incense to the gods.

Aside from being a fun day that really brought us together in teams, the Amazing Race offered a great opportunity to learn

about Taipei and its distinct culture. Not everyone enjoyed the food challenges that included local delicacies such as chicken

feet and pig blood cake (spoiler: it’s not really a cake); but our visit to temples, serene views from the Maokong Gondolas

and the wafting scents and taste of traditional Chinese tea introduced us to a different side of the special city we all live in.

Page 15 Issue 21

Page 16 ESC Newsletter

Team Building - H1

Mariangela Izzo and Jonathan Chang, H1 Students

The moment the clock struck 8:10, the atmosphere changed completely and students started to scatter around the

school, arriving at the classrooms assigned to be their ‘restaurants’ for the day. Observing our surroundings, it was quite

difficult to picture how we could transform an English room into a restaurant. However with a lot of teamwork and crea-

tivity, we managed to come up with many ideas. From the very start of the Masterchef competition we were already

faced with some challenges. Since shoppers were only allowed to purchase items from the nearby Wellcome, we needed

to be creative to find the right ingredients for our 3 course Thai meal. Nevertheless, we were able to invent a delicious

and quite unique version of Pad Thai! The most enjoyable part of the day was definitely watching the judges taste our

food, seeing how they would react to our cooking. Some praised us, saying we did brilliantly. Some were honest with us,

giving feedback for future improvements. In the end, it did not matter to us that our moon shrimp cakes weren’t crispy

enough, or our Pad Thai was cooked with the wrong noodles. We had a great day working together. After all, that is

what Team Building is about.

For H1’s Team Building Day, there was a Masterchef-themed competition held amongst the students of the year group. A

week before the event, the classes were divided into groups of two, then randomly given a theme for the type of cuisine

they were to cook; from Spanish to Indian food, many cultures and regions were represented on the day, all expressed

through cooking. At the beginning of the day, two people from each group were sent out to go buy ingredients, and eve-

ryone else in the group was to turn their given classroom into a restaraunt. Hours seemed to pass by like minutes as

students were repositioning tables, putting decorative cloth over the windows, and even collecting plants behind the

school for decoration! Everyone stayed in focus as they put blood, sweat, and tears into completing the classroom trans-

formation. When the shoppers had come back to school with all of the ingredients, the cafeteria tables were spread out with vibrant colours of what must’ve been over a hundred different types of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. The

cooking began shortly after. As a main chef in my team, I was extremely nervous; I could hear my heart pounding in my

ears as I started preparing my dish. At this stage, different smells of delicious food had already been spread all over the

cafeteria as teachers walked around; stunned to witness all of the student’s culinary knowledge and skill. When the stu-

dents had finished everything, cooking and decorating, four judges had come to each room separately to critique and

judge the restaurant's appearance, and more importantly, food, and coming from a member of the winning team, the

pride was definitely worth all of the effort.

Page 17 Issue 21

Page 18 ESC Newsletter

Team Building - H2

Gavin Matthews, Dean of H2

Last year saw the debut of the TES Apprentice challenge, in which groups of H2 students had to create and pitch a film about

Taipei. For this year’s Apprentice, students were given the more specific challenge of showing 25 years of change in Taipei, in order

to tie in with the 25th anniversary of the TES British Section. The students were put into house-specific teams and asked to plan

their day of filming. After the day itself, they had to produce their video and plan how they would pitch their film to a panel of ex-

perts.

The final was scheduled for Wednesday 28th September, but Typhoon Megi put paid to those plans. (At the time of writ-

ing, the final pitches are scheduled to take place on Wednesday 5th October.)

During Team Building Day, all groups looked to be having a lot of fun with their filming, although possibly were not so

original with their choices of venues, as many of the groups bumped into each other during lunchtime at 101. (As one

student told me, “We bumped into lots of other groups there, but instead of giving each other the ‘side eye glance’, we

were all friendly and supporting the others. It is easy to say that the H2 students definitely have a good balance between

competitiveness and companionship.”) A few groups could also not resist the Pokemon theme, which may date their

videos when the latest teenage fad usurps this strange craze.

Not all groups found their days running to plan, but then that is one of the challenges that Team Building Day is so good

at providing. Some groups discovered a creative tension between members, while others came to a realisation that they

could do with someone to provide them with creativity and/or leadership. Again, this is another educative experience for

our students, giving them valuable pre-IB experience in managing project group dynamics.

One H2 student new to TES this year said that, “From the perspective of a new student, I think team-building day helped

me to understand my classmates better, and it was a fresh experience for me. I didn’t really talk to the people in my

group before. However after that day, I find myself more at ease in my surroundings. It was also really fun to go around Taipei, to places that I don’t usually go.”

It is clear that The Apprentice - TES-style - has become an established part of the H2 calendar, both for the educative experience

it provides and for the sheer fun of it.

Page 19 Issue 21

Page 20 ESC Newsletter

Team Building - H3

Page 21 Issue 21

Page 22 ESC Newsletter

Team Building - H4

Page 23 Issue 21

Page 24 ESC Newsletter

News from the French Section

Andria Spring

Making Dreams Reality

Last May, the French Section 4ème and 2nde classes spent a week at the FutureWard makerspace at Tatung Univer-

sity as part of their ‘Dream Toy project’. Their mission was to create toys for underprivileged children from the Changhua district in Fenyuan. The children

from Changhua had drawn pictures of their dream toys, and it was up to our 4ème and 2nde students to transform

the dream drawings into reality. During their week at the FutureWard makerspace they designed and created the toys from scratch using all types of

craft techniques and machinery – from pottery to woodwork, from sewing machines to 3D printers.

This August, with the assistance of CiteFoundation the children from Changhua came to visit Taipei, to receive their

dream toys and to meet the FS students (now the 3ème and 1ère classes) who had turned their dreams into real,

tangible toys. It was a touching moment and a fitting end to a project which saw our students develop their tech

skills for a good cause.

Page 25 Issue 21

Page 26 ESC Newsletter

Mathematics Department

Julie Dale, Head of Mathematics

Our Junior Mathematicians are making waves in the school at the

moment. Firstly we had certificates awarded in the Junior Maths

Olympiad: Shubh Lashkery (Distinction), Ivan Lim (Merit), David Lin

(Merit). Here are a couple of questions from the JMO for you to

try:

Three isosceles triangles are put together to create a larger isosceles triangle, as shown.

What is the value of x?

The board shown has 32 cells, one of which is labelled S and another F .

The shortest path starting at S and finishing at F involves exactly nine

other cells

and ten moves, where each move goes from cell to cell ‘horizontally’ or

‘vertically’ across an edge.

How many paths of this length are there from S to F?

SEAMC tryouts have been taking place this week, congratulations to all who took part! The stan-

dard was very high and we had a large number of students trying out for the teams. The qualifiers

are:

Matthew Kuo Rick Chen David Lin Ethan Chen Kevin Chen

Brian Chuang Neel Bhimani Andrew Wu Ryoki Kunii

Page 27 Issue 21

H4 Geography Field Trip to Baishawan Beach This month the IB geography class spent the day on the North Coast collecting data for their Internal Assessment on the

changing characteristics of sand dunes. They worked in teams to collect a variety of information from 5 separate transects

along a stretch of dunes. This included pH, wind speed, infiltration rates, dune height as well as a study on the changing

vegetation. Apart from a few mishaps with the ranging poles and moans about struggling up and down the steep dunes, a

fun and productive day was had and the data collected will allow them to write interesting and detailed Internal Assess-

ments over the next month. Well done H4!

Geography Department

Hannah Brooks, Head of Geography

Page 28 ESC Newsletter

It has been pleasing that there has

been a significant up-take for the IB

English Literature course this year,

with a total of 18 H3 students opt-

ing to take this course instead of

the increasingly popular Language

and Literature course, (LangLit as it

is in known in teacher-speak),

which was introduced four years

ago by the IB. In many schools, the

latter has been the English course

of choice, due to its broader appeal

and focus on other textual media

such as that found in news, politics,

advertising etc. It would seem, then,

that Literature, in comparison to its

sleeker, younger and more media-

savvy cousin, comes across more

like an archaic, fusty, out-of-step

uncle still championing the classical canon as the high point of human

achievement. Some also argue that

it should be duly consigned to the

IB equivalent of Room 101. However, to take such a position

would miss the point of what ap-

preciation of Literature, indeed any

art form, offers young people in

terms of the cognitive skills which

are inherent in the appreciation,

interpretation and discussion of

critical works which serve as the

foundation of our cultural land-

scape. For starters, it is worth noting that the courses differ in terms of how

they view ‘texts’, with Lang Lit fal-

ling somewhere in the realm of

Social Sciences, in terms of its treat-

ment of ‘media’ and the various

influences and contextual elements

which go into creating a textual

artefact. LangLit looks, therefore, at

a text as a reflection of the social

paradigm that formed it, as well as

the context of how it might be

received by a different audience in a

different time or place. As such, it

requires a student to consider con-

text as a primary focus for many of

their assessments. Literature, on the other hand, can

be seen more as a reflection of the

‘Arts’ in terms of its appreciation of

the way in which writers are able to

craft and shape their writing to

create meaning, and in so doing,

reflect on concepts of shared hu-

man experience: love, fear, alien-

ation, sorrow, justice, freedom etc.

To this end, discussion of Literature

embraces elements of philosophy,

theology and history, while also

incorporating the more functional

analytical skills which are a feature

of both courses. In addition, the Literature course, in

its most recent reincarnation, has

evolved to consider other types of

media as ‘literature’, allowing for

the study of graphic novels and film

adaptations of major literary works,

for example. This leads to interest-ing discussion as to the nature of

‘literature’ and its role in our world

today. So, for example, it might be

possible to consider the merits of

‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’

in relation to the original work, and

look at how plot, theme and char-

acter have been adapted across

different genres and different eras. Like all great art, great literature provides us with a catalyst for

thought, in which the writer will

hold up a mirror, and, through the

medium of language, show us the

way towards a more profound un-

derstanding of ourselves; a con-

veyed ‘vocabulary of ideas’, if you

will, which furnishes us as individu-

als with a framework of under-

standing that can extend beyond

the classroom into our own lives

and personal philosophies. After all,

isn’t that what any great writer

seeks to achieve? It is interesting to note that Univer-

sities make no real distinction be-

tween the study of Literature and

Language and Literature, seeing

both as ‘English’ courses, and there-

fore essentially the same. However,

I think that it worth considering

how the approach to these courses

are distinct, and when students in

H2 are considering their options

they should be aware that, yes, both

courses are English, but what the

students gain from each can be

markedly different; and, as part of a thought-driven, holistic curriculum,

you could do worse than choose to

study literature.

English Department

Adam Taylor, Assistant Head of English

Page 29 Issue 21

Drama Department

H2 IGCSE Drama students prepare for their Devised Examination in October. Each of the groups have been working

at developing an original piece of theatre of 15 minutes in length. The students are assessed on their ability to create a

narrative which explores a range of drama techniques and styles. Their final performance which takes place at ECS cam-

pus on November 1st at 5pm is open to anyone who has an interest in live performance work.

Rowena Bracken, Head of Drama

Page 30 ESC Newsletter

On the weekend of September 10th

and 11th, eight intrepid H4 IB Phys-

ics students braved the elements to

attend the 2016 IDEERS Earthquake

Competition at the Taiwan Na-

tional Center for Research on

Earthquake Engineering. This an-

nual event brings over 400 students

from around Taiwan, Asia and the

World together to learn firsthand

about the design and construction

of structures to withstand seismic

activity. For the past month, the Powell Puff

Girls and the Trump Tower Guys

had been testing and perfecting

their ideas after school under the

expert guidance of Mr. Scott Pow-

ell. On the day, armed with a lim-

ited amount of materials and tools,

the teams then had six and half

hours to build a 7 storey structure

that had to support a minimum of 3

kilograms per floor. The heat and

pressure were on, as our students

raced against the clock to complete

their buildings to standard within

the 40 page rule book! The high drama came the next

morning when all competitors re-

turned to view each other’s designs

and then mount their creations on

the shake table for the big quake!

The tension was high as additional

masses were added to each floor…

higher and higher, heavier and heav-

ier until…SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!

In two unfortunate natural disas-

ters, both towers collapsed before

any ground movement could occur!

A bit shaken but not stirred, our

undaunted TES students cheered

and supported the remaining teams

as the testing got underway and we

were able to enjoy a stress free

viewing as other buildings collapsed!

Overall, it was a great learning ex-

perience with congratulations to

Michelle Ma, Joann Ni, Mini Chen,

Ally Hsia, Albert Gesk, Jefferson

Chen, Zach Samanego and Justin

Liu. It’s now back to the drawing

board to get ready for next year’s

big one!

IB Physicists Shake, Rattle and Roll at IDEERS Earthquake Competition

Science Department Robin Neroutsos and Andrew Weng, Teachers of Science

Page 31 Issue 21

IB Chemistry Acids and Bases The H4 IB Chemistry students have spent the new academic year with experimental work and mathematical calculations re-

lating to acids and bases. With a variety of data loggers they have been able to measure both the volume, temperature, and

pH changes all simultaneously in real time. They were then able to compare the different pH curves that occur with the differ-

ent combinations of strong and weak, acids and bases. Students were also able to combine this with pH indicators to gain a

better understanding of how the acid and base reactions interact according to the pH scale. The academic and experimental demands of the IB are give our students the best preparation possible for their university

studies, and still they are having some fun in between!

Page 32 ESC Newsletter

Sun shining, wind blowing, chatter

erupting through a large crowd of

people gathered in the Phase 1 cafe-

teria; Year 7 students looking for-

ward to a fun and exciting day ahead

of them. For an average child’s mind,

a fun and exciting day might consist

of seven hours at Disneyland, or

maybe at a recreational park. But

instead we were heading off for an

educational field trip. We were

going to the Ju Ming Museum, where

we would be making crafts, sketch-

ing and taking pictures of sculptures

by the famous Taiwanese sculptor--

Ju Ming.

Within an hour or so of driving over

Yangmingshan and after some oohs

and aahs at the scenery, we were there. As soon as we piled off the

bus, everyone started getting ex-

cited: talking, taking photos, posing

with sculptures...

Firstly, Group C and D went to the

Performance Area, where we were

told to meet for lunch much later.

Everyone started exploring the

whole museum from there, in which

we were told to draw some sculp-

tures, whereas I (and some others)

only stayed in the Ju Jun area, where

the Zipper Series, Xanadu Series,

and some of the Living World Series

were. It took quite some time to

finish a whole page of sketches but

the scenery was beautiful. At lunch,

many people were sitting on the

boardwalk looking at ducks and the

fish, which to us children, was highly

amusing.

After lunch and a game of tag,

Groups A and B swapped with C

and D, so we went to the Little Feet

Movement Classroom. There we explored three different types of

trees, each with unique characteris-

tics. Then, we were to make our

own plant out of foam sheets, imagi-

nary or not--or we could consult

the staff to make something else.

However, while many people

started making trees and pots, oth-

ers made abstract objects and even

foam cats and squids...I even thought

I saw a jellyfish!

As we departed Ju Ming Museum,

the buses were once again filled

with noise, although there was a

considerably larger amount of peo-

ple sleeping compared to the morn-

ing bus ride; everyone ignored the

scenery this time. Even though this

was not my first time to Ju Ming

Museum, it was still an interesting

trip, and I think many others agree

with my view. I appreciate these

trips where we learn through out-

door recreation and education, and

I hope what I see is some more that are coming in the future.

Juming Art Trip

Page 33 Issue 21

ESC Newsletter News from the Music Department

Music Event Calendar 2016-2017 There are a number of Music performances by TES students this year that are open to the whole TES Community to

enjoy this year:

3rd September IGCSE/ IB Performance Evening - 5pm Phase II Atrium

4th November Music Recital Evening

28th November IGCSE/ IB Performance Evening

15th December Christmas Concert

20th February IGCSE/ IB Performance Evening

10th March TES Proms (which will replace the usual Music Concert this year)

15th May IGCSE/ IB Performance Evening

Chris Papps, Head of Music

Music Recital Evening

The Music Department will introduce a new event this year, a Music Recital Evening, to be held on the 4th of Novem-

ber. The idea of this event is to provide an opportunity for soloists and small groups to perform to a formal audience.

This event will not include the large ensemble groups which usually perform at our other concerts (e.g. no choirs, or-

chestra, big band etc). This event is open to all ESC students in all sections.

If your child is interested in performing as a soloist or in a small group, please have them follow the sign up instructions

that have been sent to them via their school emails. If your child has not received this information, please have them

see Ms Ho in the Performing Arts Office Room 1108 or email her at katy.ho@tes.tp.edu.tw.

Music ECAs

All music ensembles are now now well under way. If your child is still interested in joining any of the ensembles, an

opportunity may still exist, please have them see Ms Ho in the Music Office Room 1108 (katy.ho@tes.tp.edu.tw) for

more details.

Orchestra: Currently looking for Percussionists/ Pianists! The TES Orchestra (TESO) is currently in need of percussionist to join the ensemble. We are particularly interested in

pianists or keyboard players in KS3 of Grade 4 or above standard - No previous percussion experience is needed! We

are interested in pianists playing tuned percussion instruments like glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone, timpani (as well as some non-tuned instruments). If your child is interested in joining the orchestra, please have them contact Mr Papps

via email chris.papps@tes.tp.edu.tw or in the Music Office.

The next day was the first day of practice. The orchestra had about 100 people, with a professional conductor from Can-

ada. It was then when I realized how wearisome this festival was gonna be. None of us got enough sleep and the section-

als were especially tiring. They included constant practise and strict monitoring, but all of us were well prepared for them

and some of us even got leadership roles, which we were happy about. Most of the people there were amiable and all of

us met new friends. After a long day of practising, we headed to the plaza near our hotel and did some shopping, and

went back to the school for barbeque.

The third day was pretty much the same as the second but with less sectionals and

more tutti rehearsals. Even though we had a lot of sleep from the previous night, a

lot of us were still really tired. After intense practising, all schools headed to the

Peak to shop and watch the light show. It was fun, although we waited for the light

show to happen but it never did.

FOBISIA Music Orchestra Festival

Last week twelve students and two Music staff headed to Hong Kong for the second FOBISIA Music Orchestra festival,

this time hosted by Discovery Bay International School. Please enjoy a summary of this event, written by two of the

students who attended, Y8 Leo Ke and H2 Audrey Lam.

Our flight was at 10:40am, arriving in Hong Kong at around 12:20pm. With so much time before the welcome dinner,

we headed to Disneyland for a few hours. It was the first time for some of us and we all enjoyed it very much. We went

back to the hotel for the welcome dinner, and met a lot of students from other schools there.

Page 34 ESC Newsletter

Page 35 Issue 21

All our practice had been preparing us for this day. The concert was to start at 6:30 tonight. We had four pieces to play:

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 (The Finale), Sibelius’ Finlandia, Chance’s Variations from a Korean Folk Song and Branden-

burg No. 3 by Bach. It was held at the Discovery Bay Community center, just across the street from the hotel. The con-

cert hall was filled with proud parents and residents of Discovery Bay. The performance went smoothly and we relaxed for

the celebration dinner.

We woke up at 4:30 to catch the 7:30 flight (because of the typhoon) which was a struggle for us. We got to the airport on

time and were originally not going to go on the flight, but luckily there were leftover seats, which left places for us. When

they informed us, the plane was already boarding and we were still in at the check-in gate. However, we still got on the plane

safely and landed successfully, despite being stuck on the plane at Taoyuan airport due to extreme winds.

It was an overall great trip and an unforgettable experience for all of us. We had an amazing time in Hong Kong exploring the

city and playing the wonderful pieces the teachers have chosen for us. The hard work and effort we put into the practices all

showed in the concert. We thank the teachers for arranging all of this, and look forward to next year’s FOBISIA Festival!

Page 36 ESC Newsletter

News from the Music Department

Page 37 Issue 21

A Word from the Head of Sport

Page 38 ESC Newsletter

Kwok Chow, Head of Sport

It’s been a busy month of training and playing matches for all our teams in season 1. Big thanks

to all our coaches so for there efforts in getting our TES Titans Teams in shape for the TISSA

tournaments coming up at the end of October. Our teams for Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball

have been confirmed to compete at the Pacific Asia Youth Cup in Singapore and raring to

go. The Sports Leaders have been very busy and have made a fantastic start in supporting the

Sports Department.

Year 9 Volleyball Boys Team Year 9 Volleyball Girls Team

Year 8 Volleyball Boys Team

Year 7 Volleyball Boys Team Year 7 Volleyball Girls Team

Year 8 Volleyball Girls Team

Page 39 Issue 21

JV Girls Volleyball Team Year 9 JV Girls Volleyball Team

JV Boys Football Team

Page 40 ESC Newsletter

Page 41 Issue 21

Page 42 ESC Newsletter

Sports Day is an annual event here at TES and a great chance to apply

our school values, particularly participation, respect and perseverance.

Due to lack of availability of an athletics track, this year we will offer an

alternative Sports Day program. The program will run over the 24th

and 25th of October on the following schedule:

Monday October 24th 8am-3pm: Year 7 and 8

Tuesday, October 25th 8am-3pm: Year 9 and H1

Tuesday, October 25th 3pm-4:30pm: H2-H4 (optional).

School lunch will be provided as normal on these days. Students will

need to bring:

sunblock,

sunhats,

water bottles,

appropriate running shoes,

their house shirt

dark appropriate running shorts

The program will feature a Cross Country Race, Volleyball, Football,

Tennis, a 'Titan Fitness Challenge', and Athletic Field Events. These will

be run on the old field, new field, gymnasium, new fitness center and

new tennis courts.

Parents are encouraged to come along, wear their child's house colors

and support the athletes. The ESCPA will be selling a range of snacks

which parents and students are welcome to buy. We appreciate your support in creating a fun and memorable day.

Sports Day 2016 Jared Duxfield, Head of PE

Page 43 Issue 21

31 JianYe Road, ShiLin District,

Taipei 11193 Phone: +886-2-8145-9007

Fax: +886-2-2832-7576 Website-:

www.taipeieuropeanschool.com

SWIRE EUROPEAN SECONDARY CAMPUS

Our school has attracted regional and worldwide attention with its

unique model for integrating German, British, French, and High

School sections in terms of their curricula, administration, finance,

buildings and facilities.

The Taipei British School (TBS), Ecole Francaise de Taipei (EFT); and

Deutsche Schule Taipei (DST) began around 1990 in response to the

needs of expatriate families with young children, living in Taipei. The

schools soon realised that there was much to be gained by joining

forces to establish a combined European campus. This would allow

the schools to share some facilities and resources yet teach their

own respective national curricula.

Athlete of the Month